 Gary Cooper from Eiga no Tomo (November 1952) | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Germanic language |
| Meaning | Spear, Spear king |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | Garry, Garey |
| Variant form(s) | none |
| Nickname(s) | Gaz, Gazza, Gal |
Gary and Garry are English language masculine given names.
Gary is likely derived from the Norman French name Geiree, itself descended from the Old Frankish [1] name Geiserich, composed of two elements: “*gaizaz” (spear, pike, javelin) plus “*rīkijaz” (kingly, royal). [2] [3] [4]
A variant form of Gary is Garry, the spelling of which has been influenced by that of Barry . An informal pet form of Gary is Gaz, [2] [3] a variant of which is Gazza. [2]
A given name associated with Gary and Garry is Garrison ; the latter is sometimes borne by sons of men bearing the former names. [3] [5] The Gaelic Garaidh is also associated with Gary. [3]
Because of the "Gare" sound at the beginning in American English, Gary is sometimes incorrectly thought to be a diminutive of Garrett, although the names are unrelated.
The usage of Gary as a given name is intertwined with the success of the actor Gary Cooper (1901–1961). The American industrialist Elbert Henry Gary left his name to the town of Gary, Indiana. The theatrical agent Nan Collins, who lived in this town, suggested the name Gary to Frank Cooper, one of her clients, who went on to have a successful film career as Gary Cooper. The name's popularity was assisted in the later 20th century by the prominence of cricketer Gary Sobers (whose first name was a pet form of Garfield ), [2] [3] footballer Gary Lineker, [2] and musician Gary Glitter (originally Paul Gadd). [3]
According to the Social Security Administration, [6] Gary was relatively rare as a given name in the 1900–1920s period (e.g., in the 1910s it was the 677th most frequent name, given to less than 0.01% of the babies born in that decade). In the 1930s, 0.38% of the male babies in the United States were named Gary, and in the 1950s as many as 1.54% of them were given this name, making it the 12th most popular given name of that decade. The name reached its record popularity (9th place) in 1954, the year after Cooper received his Best Actor Academy Award for his leading role in High Noon . Since then, the popularity of Gary as a given name in the United States has been on a slow but steady decline. In the 1990s, the name was the 170th most popular, given to around 0.1% of newborn males.
In the United Kingdom, its popularity peaked during the 1960s (it was the 16th most popular male name in 1964) and still ranked as high as 26th in 1984, but by the 1990s had fallen out of the top 100. [7] In 2013, only 28 babies born in England and Wales were named Gary, leading Garys to be labeled a "dying breed". [8]
Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to:
Mike is a masculine given name. It is also encountered as a short form of Michael. Notable people with the name include:
Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos. The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers, and partly associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic names, such as Ronald. A short form of Donald is Don. Pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common.
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain. This name is a popular name in Scotland, where it originated, as well as in other English-speaking countries.
Cole is a surname of English origin, and is also now used as a given name. It is of Middle English origin, and its meaning is "swarthy, coal-black, charcoal".
Gavin is a Celtic male given name. It is the Scottish variation of the medieval Welsh name Gawain, meaning "God send" or "white hawk". Sir Gawain was a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem connected with King Arthur's Round Table. Gawain beheads the Green Knight who promptly replaces his head and threatens Gawain an identical fate the same time next year. Decapitation figures elsewhere: the Italian name Gavino is the name of an early Christian martyr who was beheaded in 300 AD, his head being thrown in the Mediterranean Sea only later reunited and interred with his body.
Justin is a masculine given name of Latin origin. It is the anglicized form of the Latin given name Justinus, a derivative of Justus, meaning "just", "fair", or "righteous". Justinus was the name borne by various early saints, notably a 2nd-century Christian apologist and a boy martyr of the 3rd century. The name is also related to the similar Latin name Justinian. As an English name, Justin is common particularly in the English-speaking world starting in the latter half of the 20th century.
Gray is a surname of English and Scottish origins.
Keith is a given name of Gaelic origin. It means "wood" or "from the battleground" and shares the same derivation as Clan Keith. The surname derives from a toponym, Keith Marischal in East Lothian, possibly containing the Brittonic element cet "woods, forest." Keith was the 298th most common name given to newborn boys in the United States in 2007.
King is an English surname. It is also an Anglicized form of the German surname Küng, which in many German dialects is pronounced like king. This originally German form is widespread among American Mennonites and Amish.
Duffy is a surname of Irish origin that comes from the original Irish name Ó Dubhthaigh, meaning descendant of Dubthach. Dubthach was an Old Irish first name meaning "black".
Joshua is a given name derived from the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, prominently belonging to Joshua, an early Hebrew leader of the Exodus period who has a major role in several books of the Bible. The name was a common alternative form of the name יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšūaʿ) which corresponds to the Greek spelling Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), from which, through the Latin Iesus, comes the English spelling Jesus. As a result of the origin of the name, a majority of people before the 17th century who have this name were Jewish. A variant, truncated form of the name, Josh, gained popularity in the United States in the 1920s.
Kelly is a surname in the English language. The name has numerous origins, most notably from the Ui Maine. In some cases it is derived from toponyms located in Ireland and Great Britain, in other cases it is derived from patronyms in the Irish language.
Tom is mostly used as a diminutive of Thomas. In Germanic countries and Scandinavia, "Tom" is in use as a formal given name. In modern Hebrew, the name Tom is used as a unisex name, with the meaning of "innocence, naivety, simplicity" or "the end.”
Burton is an English surname with habitational origins.
Tommy is a masculine given name, frequently a short form of Thomas. Tommy may refer to:
Houston is a surname of Scottish origin, from the place called Houston, Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. In Old English, the name Houston, meant the settlement belonging to Hugh.
